Meet Kaylah of The Dainty Squid!

If you haven’t already discovered Kaylah’s blog, The Dainty Squid, you’re missing out. Visiting her site is a whimsical adventure into a colorful world of one-of-a-kind collections, mushroom hunting, and furry kitty friends. Her blog is way more than her colorful outfit photos; she also incorporates recipes and DIY projects. But don’t take my word for it – read our interview with Kaylah to learn more about what makes her tick. You’ll also get a chance to see how she styled her adorable namesake dress, which comes in two colors! Plus, take a peek at her favorite ModCloth items!

What blogs do you follow for crafting inspiration?
I don’t follow any blogs particularly for crafting inspiration. My inspiration comes from anything and everything, just walking into a craft store is more inspiration than I can handle. I will share with you a few of my favorite blogs, though: Love Elycia, The City Bird’s Nest, Skunkboy Creatures, and Geninne’s Art Blog are all in my daily reads.

Do you have a favorite DIY project on your blog?
My current favorite DIY project I’ve shared on my blog is how to make sweater clips from vintage clip-on earrings and a necklace chain. It’s super simple but looks super snazzy!

One of your hobbies is collecting edible mushrooms. How did you learn how to mushroom pick? [To anyone reading this: Please don’t attempt to pick edible mushrooms on your own without a knowledgeable guide. It can be dangerous!]
I don’t discriminate against the non-edible type, I think they’re all pretty! 😉 I use the internet, books, and an iPhone app (there really is an app for everything!) to learn about mushrooms. I still have a lot to learn, but I am slowly but surely learning names, whether or not they’re edible, and what time of the year they grow. I’m sad to report I don’t have any mushroom recipes; I’ve never ever eaten a mushroom. I think I’ll put that on my to-do list!

Your hair often changes colors, and you recently shared a tutorial with your readers. Any tips on how to keep your hair so vibrant?
Keeping unnatural colors bright starts at the bleaching process, but if you’ve done everything right, keeping your hair vibrant is as easy as using shampoo as little as possible, and rinsing with cold water. If you’d like to read all of my tips, they can be found in my three-part series, “Hair Tips and Tricks.” Part one discusses bleaching, part two discusses hair dye, how to achieve pastel colors, and brands of dye, and part three shares tips to maintain color and hair products I adore.

You have a fun shop on Etsy. Can we expect to see any new design on there anytime soon? What’s in the works?
Thank you! You can most definitely expect to see new designs soon. I recently gave my shop a total makeover with a more mature look by getting rid of all the cutesy fabrics I used to use and replacing them with a combination of original designs and vintage fabric. Starting this month, I will be releasing one new design per month in limited edition quantities.

Tell us about your cats!
Yes, cat talk! This is like asking a woman about her grandchildren. I have four kitties named Squid, Doctor Octopus, Leafy Sea Dragon, and Professor Stingray. They’re all characters and have such unique personalities.

Squid, for instance, can hold a conversation (did I really just say that?!). What I mean is when you talk to her, she will meow back in different tones and pitches that makes it sound like she’s really trying to respond to what you said. Doctor Octopus is obsessed with stealing plastics bags and bread ties, two things he’s not allowed to play with. Leaf is the king of flopping; if you just touch him in the right spot he’ll fall over like a ton of bricks, just waiting to be pet. The Professor is the quirkiest of the bunch. He has a habit of trying to get in the oven (luckily, not when it’s on), spying on people from behind curtains, and having the cutest like squeak-meow you’ll ever hear.

You have a lot of collections. Which is your most cherished?
I will collect just about anything. My most cherished collection would have to be my collection of family things. Like Jonathan’s collection from Everything is Illuminated, my prized items are things most people would think nothing of – my dad’s ponytail, a nail from the barn where my grandpa lived as a child, a bag of teeth, my fiance’s first grey hair, and a doll my mom played with as a child.

Not all my collections are weird, though. I also collect nesting dolls, keys, cameras, and more. For the last six months, I’ve been sharing a little bit about each group of items on my blog. If you’d like to see more of them you can find the series here.

I noticed a recipe for vegan peanut butter cups on your blog. Are you a vegan? What’s your favorite food?
I’m actually not vegan, but my fiance is, and we both have a major sweet tooth, so I try to make treats we both can enjoy. Plus, making vegan baked goods is fun because people always seem surprised when they’re just as tasty (if not better) than things that include milk, eggs, and “real” butter. I’m not a real big food lover, but if you’re counting snacks as food, I’m crazy about baked donuts, chocolate chip cookies, and the aforementioned peanut butter pillows.

Before we let her go, we asked Kaylah to style her namesake dress in both colors. She said, “I’m crazy about The Dainty Squid Dress! Its bright red trim, perfectly obnoxious buttons, and collar are beyond charming!”

That’s so great that Kaylah was a featured blogger, but to tell you the truth I just don’t feel like the dress exemplifies her style enough. It kind of seems like you just bought a random dress and decided to name it “The Dainty Squid Dress” just because you wanted to feature her. Other than that, I’m exited for her!